A Cambridge startup is betting on plastic crystals to transform refrigeration by replacing gases with solid materials that change temperature under pressure, in a technology still under development and initially aimed at commercial systems. A startup affiliated with the University of Cambridge is working on a refrigeration technology that exchanges gases for solid materials capable […]
I cant be bothered to read ‘yet another pie in the sky’ ‘this will solve every thing’, but my two cents:
They still have to move the heat somewhere some how with something or else relaxing the crystals will add the heat back to the system + the work that was done. No work is free
I assume this will work just like any heat pump/fridge. Best case the crystals form a suspension in a liquid like water. Than you just pressurize the water on the hot part and release it in the cold part of the system.
In the end its more about lifetime and costs than anything else. Not sure if anything can beat gasses in that.
Right? My first thought reading the title was “okay sure, the crystals get cold. Then what? Are we going to push the crystals outside so they can warm up again, ready to start the cycle anew?”. How is “cold crystals” working better to transfer heat than a gas/liquid?
I should read the article, I suppose…
I note that the article states the following: “When the pressure is removed, the process reverses, and the solid can absorb heat from the nearby environment.” That would appear to be the opposite of the headline
No it is consistent. Apply pressure => crystal cools, environment heats up. Release pressure => crystals heats up, environment cools.
me too…
from the other post it looks like they are using water to carry the heat away. I guess water and some deforming crystals are better that most of the refrigerants that we currently use